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Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar had some harsh comments criticising few of the Indian players after the Men in Blue lost to South Africa in the T20 World Cup in Australia. India had a terrible start and managed to post only 133 in their 20 overs. In the second innings, their bowlers had a great start but failed to finish off the game, suffering their first defeat.
Reacting to this performance, Gavaskar was extremely unhappy, especially with R Ashwin, who gave away 43 runs in his four overs. The Mumbai cricket stalwart didn’t directly mention Ashwin’s name but addressed how any match is difficult to win when one player gives these many runs.
“Things like dropping a catch and missing a run-out chance happen in cricket. We can’t blame any one player for the loss. When luck is not on your side, big players too can drop catches or miss run-out chances. I believe that the main problem when India fielded was one bowler giving away 43 runs,” Gavaskar told Aaj Tak.
He further talked about how Yuzvendra Chahal should have played the previous game as it would have prepared him for the next few games. He said, “I believe Yuzvendra Chahal should have played against the Netherlands and it would have given him confidence ahead of the next matches.”
Sunil Gavaskar also blamed India’s mental health conditioning coach Paddy Upton for his work with KL Rahul who has continued his struggles in the World Cup. He believes that Upton is “not doing anything with Rahul”.
He said, “I believe mental conditioning coach Paddy Upton has not done anything with Rahul. While the batting coach can tell him his mistakes, there is a need for the mental conditioning coach to talk with Rahul. He should tell Rahul that he has got the talent and he can score big runs,” said Gavaskar.